166 
an Inspection of Certain sabe in Assam,” by Mr. H. C. Hill, 
Officiating Inspector-General of Forests, dated the — March, 
1896. From this note the: following extracts are taken 
The continued destruction of naturally-grown rubber trees and 
the impossibility of preserving them.—The ae cit tapping of trees 
in reserves, sparsely scattered over miles almost impenetrable 
evergreen forest with an undergrowth of ae is PES explained. 
The roughly collected impure rubber sells at a rupee a seer, and 
to obtain a number of seers which are interchangeable for 12 
times eae weight of rice at the nearest Koya’s shop, a man has 
only to make his way to a tree, make cuts in the roots, and 
returning three days later -collect his spoil. No system of 
inspection paths or staff of patrols would render protection 
f 
rts, even if men could be got to stay in the eren "n e Tun 
rains when all guards are withdrawn. The cR aig beside 
abuts the Akha and Duffla hills and is heb and trackless 
except for wild elephant paths, therefore the rubber once collected 
lin 
im 
foreign territory was leased, gangs of Ne epalese employed to 
collect rubber beyond the Inner Line defied the forest staff, and, 
assembling in numbers within the veris tapped everything 
before them. This began the destruct Now, with few 
trees to work on, and licensed pure olino who pay the royalty of 
Rs. 12 on foreign rubber, illicit tapping goes on and the rubber i is 
ing 
generally killed off across the Line, unless the reported religious 
or the tree in the Abor hills is affording it protection in 
that vage em ud 
at Rs. 12a semen" amounis to "Re 42,000 (4,200/.) a year, and it 
: i : : : : 
hi i 
supply continuous it behoves Government to invest a fair 
proportion of these receipts, if they can be profitably invested, 
with this object in view. The o nly prospeet of success, financial 
or other, seems to be in ate direstión of artificial plantations, 
where the trees can be concentrated on a limited area, the effective 
protection and exploitation ot pied will be possible. 
Financial paleo of the plantations.—Can these plantations 
be expected t come a profitable investment ? Hitherto the 
Government of Itidia, acting on the advice of the Inspector-General 
of Forests, who had consulted the local officers (Messrs. McKee 
